Ban On Alcohol Consumption On Public Buses: Thailand

[Semper]

we must remember that laws in lieland are only guidelines.... if the correct tea money is given then one can flagrently ignore them!!!

yeah and how are you supposed to know how much that is going to be?

is it worth 500 baht to drink a 50 baht beer?

what if they demand 1000 baht?

better off just not drinking in the vehicle.

Just stop at a roadside mom& pop shop with a table outside. Have a couple of cold ones (if you're the passanger) then continue your journey.

[ManInSurat]

I still don't get the ban on passengers consuming alcohol in private vehicles, travelling or not. Alright I can stretch to travelling, as you can be a danger to people I suppose. Stationary though, parked at a park or the beach? That's ridiculous.

Irrespective I can happily say I broke this law yesterday, totally oblivious to the fact that I was breaking it. 160kms from Krabi to Surat with the missus driving, there's no way I'm not going to have a beer. I'll do it again, even now I know the law.

Similarly to another comment here, if you were to drive along Ao Nang's Nopparat Thara beachfront yesterday on HM Queen's Day and saw how many Thais were in the back of their pick ups consuming large amounts of alcohol, I didn't see one BiB in sight all day, let alone enforcing this ridculous law.

It's laughable, much like the 2pm - 5pm and 12am - 11am laws. If you can't get a drink within those hours in Thailand, then you're definitely doing something wrong. I know of no example of prosecution with this stupid law. 3 of the 5 7-Elevens in Ao Nang sell alcohol within these times. Every side-soi I've ever been in has someone that won't even bat an eyelid, perhaps even think you strange, if you don't buy alcohol within the prohibited times.

Like with most laws, there'll be no enforcement, unless someone's missing a few baht from the local Rong Pak.

Oh and don't get me started on a 2-day blanket drinks ban during government elections. HM King's birthday and religious festivals like Wan Sakhapucha, I abide in public personally out of respect and can understand.

On the face of it, it really does just look like an another easy way for the BiB to be able to make a bigger pot of tea for themselves, mostly with unwitting holidaymakers.

Edited August 13, 2012 by ManInSurat

[longtom]

That must be part of the program to raise the minimum wage teamoney for the police .

[maidu]

defenders of drinking fermented sugar drinks alcohol are never at a loss for reasons why alcoholic drinks should remain legal, while all other recreational drugs, taken in any amounts, should continue to harshly criminalize others. Below are two odd true stories. Do people on crack or ganga do such things? You tell me.............

• 
  (1) Police in Fort Wayne, Indiana arrested a drunk man and woman on May 7th after witnesses reported that the couple was seen leaving Belmont Beverage with four children strapped to the hood of their car. The children (ages 4, 5, 6, and 7) were not hurt. (2) In April, Paul Berloni, 49, was arrested in Sarasota County, Fla., when police spotted him driving an SUV with his seven-year-old granddaughter in a toy "Hot Wheels" car behind him, attached to the SUV with two dog leashes. The SUV was traveling 5 to 10 mph, witnesses said, and Berloni,who smelled of alcohol, admitted that his license had been suspended following his last DUI. [WANE-TV (Fort Wayne), 5-8-
  2012] [The Smoking Gun, 4-30-2012]
  

from 'News of the Weird'